I’ve noticed that there is a growing debate taking place in the USA about tipping. Should tipping be banned?

Tipping is is the most perverted byproduct of capitalism. Yes, that’s right capitalism. Why is it perverted? The restaurant industry, for example, has created a public mandate that when you go to a restaurant you have to leave a tip for the server. These are the comments I’ve heard.

“Oh, they don’t make that much, we have to give them a nice tip.”

“Oh, she gave us really good service, let’s leave her a little bigger tip.”

What has happened in America and other western countries is that the capitalists have shifted the payment of employee wages to the customer. That’s right the customer. How do you feel about that? Someone starts a restaurant and they don’t have to pay the servers minimum wage. Yes, restaurant workers are exempted from most minimum wage laws. So the restaurant owner, with support from the government, pays the servers sub-minimum wages, and expects the customer to pay the rest through tipping. What a great business idea. So what has happened? The restaurant owner has lowered his wage costs, thereby increasing the profit potential of the restaurant, and passed on to the customer the expectation of making up the wage differential through tipping. The public has been completed bamboozled into thinking this is perfectly acceptable.

When you go to a bank, do you tip the teller when they give you good service? How about the department store, do you tip the sales person for helping you select something? No you don’t. Why not? These people all provide you with good service because it is part of their job to do so. The same applies to a server in a restaurant. Their job is to serve the customer.

My proposal is that servers should be paid a “living wage” and we should do away with tipping alltogether. Make the restaurant owner pay the wages of the servers 100%. In order to attract good people they will have to provide good wages and benefits. This isn’t going to push any restaurant owner out of the business. This will create fairness for the customer, fairness for the servers and fairness for the restaurant owner. Why should restaurants be allowed to pay sub-standard wages when thousands of other businesses are not?

It will also make the working conditions for the servers better. The server knows they have to provide good service. Why should they have “hustle” for tips? The truth is that when something goes wrong with a meal, it is usually the kitchen’s fault, but the server gets the blame and most likely a smaller tip. That’s not fair!

I think we should ban tipping, pay the servers a living wage, and make the restaurant owners face up to the real cost of running their business. What are your thoughts on this issue?